1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to fishing reel spools, and in particular to spinning reel spools that are reciprocative with respect to the reel body.
2. Description of Related Art
Typical spinning reels include a reel unit, a rotor, a spool, and a handle that is rotatively supported by the reel unit. The spinning-reel spool, which is reciprocative in that it shifts back and forth with respect to the reel unit, includes: a bobbin trunk onto which fishing line is wound; a front flange section disposed at the front end of, and having a larger diameter than, the bobbin trunk; and a tubular skirt provided at the rear of the bobbin trunk. The front flange section is fastened with a front-flange fixing member to the bobbin trunk.
With spools of this sort, because the bobbin trunk is routinely subjected to large forces, the bobbin trunk strength has to be kept high. On the other hand, the skirt need not be as strong as the bobbin trunk. Nevertheless, if the bobbin trunk and the skirt are to be molded unitarily by die-casting for example an aluminum alloy, the entire bobbin trunk and skirt will be formed with the same thickness, which makes the strength of the bobbin trunk and the skirt the same. This is done to prevent shrink marks, surface depressions that, due to fluctuations in thickness, sometimes occur next to thicker, heavier sections that cool more slowly than adjacent areas.
Therein, spools are known in which the bobbin trunk and the skirt are formed as separate pieces, and the tubular skirt is attached to the bobbin trunk.
With conventional spools in which the bobbin trunk and the skirt are formed unitarily, because forming the bobbin trunk with bulk to maintain its strength also makes the skirt bulky, the entire spool is made heavier. On the other hand, there are spools in which to lighten the-weight of the skirt only, this section is shaved or perforated but this entails excess cost and labor. Moreover, simply thinning their bulk risks that the bobbin trunk and skirt will deform on impact from being dropped.
The skirt is formed tubularly in conventional spools in which the bobbin trunk and the skirt are constituted as separate pieces, which diminishes the skirt""s diametrical strength. Skirt strength thus diminished risks that the skirt will deform due to shock from without.
An object of the present invention is to devise overall lightness of weight for spinning reel spools and at the same time to maintain the strength of its bobbin trunk and skirt.
Another object of the present invention is to sustain the strength of the skirt in spinning reel spools in which the bobbin trunk and skirt are constituted as separate pieces.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a spinning reel spool that can be shifted back and forth with respect to a reel unit includes a tubular bobbin trunk for winding fishing line around its circumference, and a skirt having a tubular portion with an outer diameter that is larger than the outer diameter of the bobbin trunk, and a rear flange portion that is formed unitarily with the tubular portion and attached to a rear end of the bobbin trunk.
In a spool thus, the skirt is maintained sufficiently strong, because the tubular portion and the rear flange portion are formed unitarily so that the skirt is radially strengthened by this rear flange, moreover, the bobbin trunk is formed separately from the skirt, so that a lighter weight can be attained by making the skirt thinner, i.e., to be of lesser bulk, while making the bobbin trunk thick, i.e., lending it more bulk, to maintain its strength.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the first aspect, the skirt is made of a synthetic resin. The skirt is thus made lighter.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the first aspect, the skirt is made of metal. The strength of the skirt is thus sustained.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the third aspect, the skirt is made of an aluminum alloy, a stainless alloy, a titanium alloy or a magnesium alloy, using an aluminum alloy makes-metalworking the skirt easy, and enables the skirt to be made at low cost. Using a stainless alloy makes it possible to obtain a skirt having high rigidity with improved corrosion resistance. Using a titanium alloy yields a lightweight, high-rigidity skirt. Employing magnesium alloy makes the skirt even lighter.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the third or fourth aspects, the skirt is made by press-working, die casting or forging. Forming the skirt by press-working enables it to be made thin; and the skirt can be formed readily by drawing, which is one kind of press-working, or by (metal) spinning. Producing the skirt die casting enables it to be formed readily while maintaining its strength. Forge forming the skirt imparts greater strength to the skirt.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the fifth aspect, the tubular portion and the rear flange portion of the skirt are formed unitarily by press-working. Thus forming the skirt by press-working enables the skirt alone to be made thinner, regardless of the shape of the bobbin trunk. Consequently, it is possible to make the entire skirt lighter.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the first aspect, the bobbin trunk is made of metal, thus to sustain its strength.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the seventh aspect, the bobbin trunk is made of an aluminum alloy, a stainless alloy, a titanium alloy or a magnesium alloy.
Employing an aluminum alloy makes metalworking the bobbin trunk easier and enables it to be made at low cost. Using a stainless alloy yields a high-rigidity bobbin trunk having improved corrosion resistance. Using titanium alloy yields a high-rigidity, lightweight bobbin trunk. Employing magnesium alloy makes the bobbin trunk still lighter in weight.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the eighth aspect, the bobbin trunk is made by press-working, die casting or forging. Forming the bobbin trunk by press-working enables the bobbin trunk to be made thin. The bobbin trunk can be formed readily by drawing, which is one kind of press-working, or by (metal) spinning. Die-casting the bobbin trunk enables it to be formed easily while sustaining its strength. Forging the bobbin trunk provides it greater strength.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the first aspect, the bobbin trunk is of synthetic polymer manufacture. Lighter weight is achieved by thus making the bobbin trunk of a synthetic resin.
According to a eleventh aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the second or tenth aspects, a finishing process is carried out on the surface of the material for the synthetic resin manufacture of the bobbin trunk. Thus by plating, for example, the surface of the synthetic resin polymer, the material can be made to look metal-like.
According to an twelfth aspect of the present invention, a spool as in the first aspect further includes a front flange portion provided at a front end of the bobbin trunk, and having a larger outer diameter than the bobbin trunk. Because a front flange portion is thus provided at the front end of the bobbin trunk, fishing line is prevented from slipping off to the front.
According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the twelfth aspect, the front flange portion is formed unitarily with the bobbin trunk. The strength of the front flange portion is thus maintained.
According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the twelfth aspect, the front flange portion is attached to the bobbin trunk as a separate piece. Thus, the front flange portion and the bobbin trunk can be formed as separate pieces, which makes the front flange portion detachable.
According to an fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the eighth to twelfth aspects, the front flange portion is made of an aluminum alloy, a stainless alloy, a titanium alloy or a magnesium alloy.
Employing an aluminum alloy makes metalworking the front flange portion easier and enables it to be made at low cost. Using a stainless alloy yields a high-rigidity front flange portion having improved corrosion resistance, using titanium alloy yields a high-rigidity, lightweight front-flange portion. Employing magnesium alloy makes the front flange portion still lighter in weight.
According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the fifth to eleventh aspects, the front flange portion has been worked by curling. The front flange portion is thus strengthened.
According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the first aspect, the rear flange portion further comprises an inner margin extending marginally inward of the bobbin trunk. Thus the rear flange portion is provided with an inner margin serving as the base portion of the skirt, which maintains the strength of the skirt.
According to a eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the seventeenth aspect, the bobbin trunk has a base portion. The strength of the bobbin trunk is thus maintained.
According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the eighteenth aspect, the base portion of the bobbin trunk is for bonding with the inner margin of the rear flange portion. Thus, the base portion of the bobbin trunk and the inner margin of the rear flange portion serving as the base portion of the skirt bonded tightly to one another by such bonding methods as gluing or welding.
According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the first aspect, the bobbin trunk further comprises an outer margin extending marginally outward from the rear end of the bobbin trunk.
According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the twentieth aspect, the outer margin of the bobbin trunk is for bonding to the rear flange portion.
According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the first aspect, the bobbin trunk comprises a first bobbin section having a first base portion, and a tubular second bobbin section formed to have the same diameter as the first bobbin section and to be unitary with the skirt. Thus, the front flange portion and the second bobbin section are connected smoothly to one another unitarily, which keeps fishing line from getting stuck between the two.
According to a twenty-third aspect of the present invention,-in a spool as in the twenty-second aspect, the second bobbin section has a second base portion. The strength of the second bobbin section is thus maintained.
According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the twenty-third aspect, the first base portion can be fastened to the second base portion.
According to a twenty-fifth aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the third aspect, the skirt further comprises a folded portion in the rear portion of the tubular portion, bent over marginally inward, which thus strengthens the skirt.
According to a twenty-sixth aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the twenty-fifth aspect, a curling process produces the folded portion. Thus by a curling process, which is a simple plastic-working procedure, the folded portion is readily formed.
According to a twenty-seventh aspect of the present invention, in a spool as in the first aspect, the skirt is provided with through-holes formed by press-working through its outer peripheral surface. The skirt is thus made even more lightweight, and the through-holes can be made at relatively low cost by press-working.
From the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art.